What do university league tables really tell you?

While there are a lot of university league tables out there, how useful are they really when it comes to choosing the right course for you?

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For a truly rounded view of a university, you should use league table rankings as one source of information, but not the only one. Just because a uni is at the top of a league table doesn’t necessarily mean it’s right uni for you (and just because one is towards the bottom of a league table doesn’t mean it isn’t right for you).

Student satisfaction scores: a helpful indicator of how students rate elements of their university experience – but prone to be slanted by the uni’s issues of the day (not necessarily academic ones). Scores don’t differ hugely between different universities, either.

Student-to-staff ratio: another factor used across league tables, this can be a helpful estimation of how much a university invests in its staffing. However these won’t tell you how many hours of teaching you’ll get or who is teaching you.

Graduate prospects: these numbers give you a snapshot of what graduates go on to do next, but they’re only collected six months after leaving uni. Note, our course profiles now show long-term salaries (one, three and five years after graduation).

Entry grades: these can have a major impact on subject rankings, but you could argue that how well students do at university is more important than what they came in with. The total Ucas tariff points students achieve are usually higher than the actual entry requirements needed to get on to a course – so don't be put off if a course appears just out of reach based on what the university have stated in their requirements.

League tables: what to look out for

Objective versus subjective data: know where the data’s coming from. Statistics collected by outside agencies should be more neutral, while student feedback might be influenced by all kinds of external issues and by personal feelings.

Indicators, not definitive info: not all categories are updated every year. Assessments to evaluate a university’s research quality may be several years old. Even annual surveys won’t always mirror the most recent changes: because of publication dates, the information quickly gets dated.

What’s missing: the Guardian’s league table, for instance, relies heavily on the student experience while The Times leans more towards facts and figures. That means some complex cross-referencing may be required to get a fuller picture.

University overall versus subject: along with an overall university ranking, you’ll also find ratings for different subject areas. These can be a more useful assessment of what you’re likely to encounter as a student. Find out subject area rankings across all the main league tables in our subject guides.

Reading between the lines

Unis at the top of the league tables are obviously doing something right. But you’ll probably find it’s the usual suspects performing well year to year (Oxbridge, Durham, Imperial). A university that’s leapt up or dropped down the tables, on the other hand, could warrant a more careful look.

League tables are often closely bunched together at the top, middle and bottom, so don't read too much into universities placed five to 10 places apart. A university in 20th place is usually separated by the one in 30th by only a few percentage points. This is also why some unis and courses fluctuate from year to year. Small differences in score can mean big differences in placing.

Higher Education Liaison Officers Association (heloa)

League tables don’t always tell you the full story, either. Certain university courses are well regarded by employers in specific career areas, even though the universities may not feature in the upper reaches of the tables.

For example, Falmouth University and Sunderland University are known to produce high-achieving graduates in journalism and animation respectively, but there’s little sense of that reflected in the league tables.

Overall uni rankings may also conceal pockets of excellence, or mediocrity, at a course or department level.

So how much importance should I place on league tables?

Ultimately, choosing the right course is for you is the most important task at hand. Looking at league tables shouldn’t be a substitute for undertaking thorough research into things such as the modules you'll study and how you’ll be assessed.

Decide on your priorities. This could be the content of the course, distance of the uni or college from your home, or the long-term career possibilities.

Create your own shortlist of courses and universities based on these priorities and use the league tables to sense check what you’ve got on your ‘maybe’ list.